When Police Attack

Last night, I was catching wind that this Dorner character was surrounded. Then, the news was that police ordered the press and media away. And then, I knew. This was to be an execution. He was not going to make it out alive. The police burned him alive. At first, I was hearing reports that the fire was an accident from the tear gas but then the recordings surfaced.

Regardless of that, a man was alone in a cabin that was someone else’s property and, instead of waiting him out or doing, you know, police stuff, they set the place on fire. He had no hostages and was isolated and could have been waited out. Instead, he was burned alive. And the police destroyed an innocent third party’s property. Hope the owners have insurance.

Now, I’m not excusing Dorner or his actions but, at this point, he was still a suspect, entitled to due process, and effort should have been taken to get him alive. What the police did here was inexcusable. No time for due process when execution will do, I suppose.

Also, this one is going to fuel conspiracy theories for years.

When discussing this with friends and coworkers, many have expressed that they’re glad that he’s off the streets and cannot hurt anyone else. When I bring up concerns regarding due process, most often I’m brushed off because, “he’d killed several cops so it doesn’t matter how they got him, just that they got him.”

In years past, I would have agreed with them. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more sensitive to the importance of constitutional protections, regardless of how much evidence there is against a person.

One thing that is supposed to set our Republic apart from others is our belief in the importance of the individual, and the natural rights of the individual. Many special interest groups argue for collective rights and special treatment based on their identification with a “special” group. This is the basis for one of the left’s attacks on the Second Amendment, claiming that it guarantees a collective right connected with service in a militia, which argument was thoroughly dismantled in Heller.

Chris Dorner was a murderer and he deserved due process. Due process, in this instance, would have been more difficult and that is why it is so very important.